Hi.
I'm the product manager for both G15 keyboards. I've been reading this forum since it launched, and am the one who got a link to it on our website. Since it has been the subject of a lot of discussion, I'm going to give you some insight into some of the design decisions behind the updated G15.
The major goal behind the design change in the G15 was to decrease the size of the product so that it would fit better on people's desks. This was by far the number one complaint about the design of the original keyboard. The removal of 12 G-keys and the modifications to the LCD area were both done with making a more compact keyboard in mind. In the case of the LCD changes, increasing reliability was also a significant factor. We understand that some of these changes are not to everyone's liking, and will continue to work on improving our products so that they meet the needs of all of our customers.
The specific ideas in the thread you referenced are excellent, and many of them were discussed at length internally. They ultimately were not feasible, however, because the resulting product would be far too expensive even for the most hardcore user to justify purchasing. This is not a matter of a few cents here and there - we're talking as much as two times or even more the cost of the existing product, depending on the components specified.
I will continue to read the forums and note (and even solicit) end user feedback. This type of interaction is how great products get made.
Thanks.
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